Do elephants and horses sleep standing up? If so why?

Answer 1

They can doze off for quite sometime, standing up. They can lie on their back and stretch and relax well enough to take a nap.

Answer 2

Do Elephants Sleep Standing Up

Answer 3

I don't know about elephants, but horses sleep standing up. As they are natural prey animals, they need to be able to escape danger quickly, even while asleep. They have special knee joints that they can lock in place so they won't fall over. Very young horses, on the other hand, mainly sleep lying down. Adult horses can as well, but usually only if they are very tired.

Answer 4

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Do elephants and horses sleep standing up? If so why?

Answer 5

Horses do because they're prey animals and if they fell fast asleep on the ground in the wild, then they'd be dinner for any carnivore that spotted them. They rarely sleep deeply, and if they do its in the comfort of their stable. Outside they might lie down for a bit but only if other horses are around to keep watch. If they sleep for too long their lungs may also start to be crushed and blood supply cut off, but a reflex response wakes them up if this starts happening.
With elephants, I expect they're similar. They're not preyed on much I don't think because they're so big lions etc don't even try. They focus on zebras and wildebeest etc. The only time they get eaten is if they die naturally.

Answer 6

Horses and elephants are herd animals. They usually live in family groups, of related mothers, sisters, aunts and daughters, along with some juvinille males. In the case of horses they also have a herd stallion. Elephants do not have an adult male that lives with the herd all the time.

Horses and elephants are both prey animals. Other animals will prey on them, and eat them. In the case of elephants, only the young are preyed on, or a very weak, wounded adult elephant (predators usually just wait for adult elephants to die).

At any time during rest periods, a certain percentage of the elephants & horses will be laying down, and a certain percentage of them standing up. The ones standing up will have a better line of site, and can warn the herd earlier, of an approaching predator.

As elephants grow older, they tend to lay down less on earth. It takes a lot to get that body up and down. They do however love to lay down and frolick in water. Elephants are wonderful swimmers.

An elephant laying down on it's own, will not crush it's lungs. An elephant laying down, because it's been tranquilized may cause it to crush it's lungs. When tranquilized they must roll adult elephants onto their chest as soon as possible.

Horses have no problems laying down in any possition. They can (just as ANY animal can, have problems when tranquilized).

Horses adore laying down flat on their sides with their tummies toward the sun, early in the morning.

Sleeping standing up give these animals a head start to get away from predators, and to see them, before they sneak up too close.

Both elephants and horses will lay down to sleep, but the adults of wild elephants and horses do not do this frequently (predators). Domestic horses, and captive elephants lay down frequently, as they do not face the same dangers.

~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years
Active wildlife study over 40 years

Answer 7

Both. Elephants can & do sleep laying down, but only for short periods of time. The rest of the time they will cat nap while standing or leaning against a tree or rock. In the wild, when elephants sleep laying down they have several of the herd standing to protect them.

Answer 8

I believe horses and elephants,have muscles in their legs,which automatically 'lock',enabling them to sleep standing up?

Answer 9

The horses in the fields by me lie down, they really do. As for elephants, ive never seen 1 asleep

Answer 10

What ???i dont know, i thought elephants could lie down. Im pretty sure horses can to!